RNC Hispanic aide Pablo Pantoja now a Democrat

A Florida Republican charged with reaching out to his fellow Hispanics during the 2012 election announced Monday he was switching parties.

Pablo Pantoja, a Puerto Rico native who was hired by the RNC as its Hispanic Outreach Director in Florida, said he was becoming a Democrat following controversy over a Heritage Foundation analyst who argued Hispanics have lower IQs than native-born white Americans.

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“The complete disregard of those who are in disadvantage is also palpable,” Pantoja wrote in a letter explaining his party switch obtained by The Tampa Bay Times. “We are not looking at an isolated incident of rhetoric or research. Others subscribe to motivating people to action by stating, ‘In California, a majority of all Hispanic births are illegitimate. That’s a lot of Democratic voters coming.’ The discourse that moves the Republican Party is filled with this anti-immigrant movement and overall radicalization that is far removed from reality.”